[ alumni spotlight ]
Dustin Brau ‘99
Summit brew 130,000 barrels per year, with plans to double that. We’re still small, but bigger than we used to be.” Half of what they produce goes to the Twin Cities market. Their kitchen is staffed exclusively by Culinology students from SMSU, said Dustin. “The college is such an asset. We can find, hire, and retain very talented people.” The centerpiece of the brewpub is a 1956 fire engine, purchased about seven years ago from the Lucan Fire Department. It is the inspiration behind “Old 56” beer. It sits behind the bar, and the various beers are poured from taps on the side. “I fought fires on that,” said Dustin, a fireman for 10 years. “It’s an antique, but one with a purpose. We purchased it and
it was a lawn ornament (in Lucan), people would take pictures by it. It was always the plan to use it to serve beer out of some day, some how. When we got into this space, we put it in here, and there’s your conversation piece right there.” The move to Marshall has proven to be a good business decision. “We want to focus on being a local brewery and having a solid foundation for the business,” Dustin said. “Moving here gave us a home territory. We’re the only brewery in southwest Minnesota.” Dustin and Mary are the parents of three children: Sandra, Eli and Orin. Follow the Brau Brothers on Facebook: Brau Brothers Brewing Co. and on Twitter: @BrauBeer.
Alumna Johnson to Lead Campus New Horizons Crisis Center Holly (Henriksen) Johnson ‘10 is the new SMSU program director and relationship series presenter at New Horizons Crisis Center. Johnson has a degree in Sociology from SMSU and joins New Horizons Crisis Center after over four years at REM in Marshall. “I am very excited and grateful for the opportunity to work for New Horizons,” said Johnson. “I am looking forward to getting back on the campus of SMSU and connecting with the students and faculty to better serve the community.” Johnson will be responsible for working with students and faculty on the SMSU campus to promote safety as well as work with victims of crime. She will also be presenting the Relationship Series to students in Murray and Pipestone counties. Johnson is originally from the Glenwood, Minn. area and lives in Marshall with her husband.
New Horizons Crisis Center’s mission “is to build a safer rural Minnesota for children, women and men. We are dedicated to empowering crime victims, promoting healthy relationships, preventing assault and abuse, and providing Holly Johnson ‘10 education, parenting time and crisis nursery services.” New Horizons Crisis Center has offices in Marshall, Redwood Falls, Slayton, and on the campus of SMSU.
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